Falling Slowly
by CountingWithStraws
Summary: He never noticed her as more than a friend, how could he with her bulky sweaters & ability to kick is butt in video games? But one drunken night changed everything. Now she's pregnant & has chosen to keep it despite only being in her second year of university. Will he keep his ways as a player or change in order to keep others way from her, especially his dorm mate?
1. The Last Day of the Prologue to Forever

AN: I've started a new story! Actually, it's a reworking of an older story but that will be explained more in the AN at the end of this prologue. For those of you reading _Dance with Me, Exotica_ or _Little Agent Hope_, don't worry, I'm not going to forget about those stories. This will be my "breather project." The other two are more complicated & take more thought. This is a simple love story & I wrote out an entire plotline ages ago.

**Also, it will get a little non-English heavy at the end of this prologue. The whole story will not by that way. Promise :] The majority of the story IS IN ENGLISH. If there is a bit of Spanish or Italian it is usually a swear word or pet name & you don't need to actually know what it means, but I have translations at the end of the chapter if there are any non-English words. Only Hinata's family is bi- & trilingual, everyone else speaks only English. **

Enjoy & DFTBA

* * *

**Prologue:**

**September: The Last Day of the Prologue to Forever**

The line: one of the most basic tools in geometry apart from the point. With a series of lines every single symbol in the written language can be created. They can also make a plus sign. A plus sign, so elegant in its simplicity, two little lines crossing, a mere +. Who knew after over a decade of math classes that this little, seemingly insignificant symbol could change everything?

Hinata Hyuga knew.

Slowly, Hinata sat down on the side of the tub and took a deep breath. What was she going to do? Should she tell him? Her head felt airy and she couldn't focus her eyes. Breathing was hard. He had ignored the fact that she was naked in his arms when they awoke, pretended like it never happened. She wasn't his usual type anyway, too curvy. They were just friends who had been drunk. It hadn't mattered to him that she had been a virgin or that she had had the hugest crush on him.

Oh, _Dio_, what was she going to do?

"Hey, _chica_, are you alright?" Neji, her youngest elder brother asked as he knocked softly on the door.

"_Sono condannato!_" Hinata held back a sob.

The door softly creaked as Neji opened it and slipped in. He glanced quickly at the sink and then pulled her into a hug. That's all it took, Hinata burst into tears. Soothingly, Neji ran his fingers through her long, dark hair and sang to her in Italian. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if it would be all right and didn't have the heart to lie to her.

A moment later their madre followed by nonna Francesca entered the bathroom. Both women looked towards the sink before going to Hinata. Their madre sat down next to them on the side of the tub and wrapped her arm around Hinata's back.

"It will be alright, _mi pequeña_," madre said in her soft, Spanish accents.

"Alright? Think that when you have to tell your husband. My son will want to _assassinare_ that _stupido americano_!" nonna said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "How could you give yourself to _l'americano, _Hinata?"

"Nonna, we love you but I really don't think this is the right time," Neji snapped at his grandmother.

"It's the perfect time. Our _piccola _Hinata is _incinta!_"

* * *

AN:

_Dio_ – "God," Italian

_chica_ – "girl," Spanish

_Sono condannato – _"I'm doomed," Italian

_Madre_ – Mother, Spanish

_Nonna_ – Grandmother, Italian

_mi pequeña _– "my little one," Spanish

_assassinare_ – "murder," Italian

_stupido americano_ – "stupid American," Italian

_piccola_ – "little," Italian

_incinta_ – "pregnant," Italian

Feel free to correct my Italian and Spanish. I natively speak English and only know a little French and German.

OOCness Warning: this story is likely to have some OOCness, some of which is on purpose. This story was originally an Original Character story that I never finished. I'm reworking it as Naruto & Hinata, but there are some aspects of the original that I can't part with. Most of the OOCness will be tied to how characters are related to each other & the fact that the original Hinata character comes from a trilingual (Italian, Spanish, English) family with most of her family being immigrants to the United States. I not only enjoy the cultural aspects of this character, but more importantly, Spanish & Italian cultures typically have a stronger view on family unity than American's do. This view is central to how Hinata will view pregnancy & so it's a requirement to the story that it stays that way. I know that Japanese culture has a strong opinion to family as well, but the culture is too foreign to me to give it justice in writing. The second big change will be that Minato will be Naruto's much older brother, not his father. I know this family dynamic would fit Sasuke better, but the way the original Naruto character acts is more similar to Naruto so there will be fewer alterations on my part to better fit Naruto in the long run.

**Edit: ** Thanks to Shay14's wonderful suggestion, Naruto's brother will probably end up being Pain/Nagato instead of Minato! (so many characters!)


	2. The Beginning of the Prologue to Forever

**Prologue:**

**August: The Beginning of the Prologue to Forever**

Hinata toyed with the blue quarter-machine ring that she always wore on a long, silver chain as she watched Naruto break another girl's heart on the opposite side of the bonfire. Naruto Uzumaki was her best friend at university and perhaps one of the hottest guys there as well despite being a total nerd. Girls practically threw themselves at him and he was completely okay with shagging every one of them without any strings. Over their End of Summer Trip with a group of friends he had already slept with six different girls in just as many days. Most of the time his conquests understood the brevity of the relationship. Apparently this one didn't get the memo.

Sighing, she looked down at her necklace. Even though it was a cheap piece of plastic, it was still precious to her. Naruto had given it to her for Christmas last year. It was the first gift she had ever received from a guy she was not related to. The fact that she was half in love with Naruto added to its meaning as well, even though she understood that he did not mean it as anything more than a cheap gift for a friend.

"You look like you could use a drink, love," Temari said as she sat down next to Hinata.

"Thanks," Hinata said as she took the drink from her best friend since preschool.

"So how long has this one been following him around for?"

Hinata glanced over at Naruto who, in an attempt to ignore the crying girl, appeared to be setting up a volleyball game with Sasuke and some of the other guys. "Few hours."

"Perhaps we should take her under our wing and teach her the evils of Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'd rather not." She drank the entire contents of the drink. "More?"

Her friend frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I share a tent with him, remember?"

"Oh my god, he didn't sleep with her while you were in there, did he!?"

"Of course not, Temari! He just came back afterwards, and, well…" Hinata shrugged her shoulders.

"And well, what?"

"He's snuggly when he sleeps."

"Did the two of you…?"

"No!" Hinata's face heated up like an oven as she blushed heavily. "He just smelled like her still."

"You really need a boyfriend, love."

Pouting out her bottom lip, Hinata watched Naruto play volleyball. He was muscular and beautiful with thick golden hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen. Hinata didn't know why she found him so attractive, but in the nineteen years of her life, he was the only guy who had ever made her heart flutter.

"I don't want a boyfriend." She looked down at her empty cup. "Think I could get some more? I think tonight would be a good night to discover what the big deal about being drunk is."

Temari rubbed her friend's back. "Alright. I'll make sure you don't do anything too stupid."

"Love you, Tem."

* * *

"You really need to get a solid girl, Naruto," Sasuke said as he passed the vodka to his roommate.

"I'll leave having temporary girlfriends to you," Naruto said as he took a drag. They were sitting up on a hill overlooking the beach campsite, hiding from Naruto's latest conquest. He couldn't understand why she just wouldn't go away no matter how often he turned her down.

"Suppose that's a good thing. That way I can get Hinata."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend. "What?"

"Hinata Hyuga."

"Why would you want to be with Hinata? She's a freaking hobbit!"

"She's not that short. Plus, she's curvy as hell."

"She'd never go for you."

"I have a better chance than you do. At least I actually date girls."

"Don't even consider it, Sasuke."

"Why? It's not like you have some claim on her. Do you?" Sasuke smirked and stood. "Plus, I'm hotter than you."

Naruto glared at Sasuke's backside as he headed back toward the group. He then scanned the group for Hinata. She wasn't too hard to spot since most of the girls that came with them were skinny and athletic. She was sitting near the bon fire with that biker chick, Temari. Her cheeks were flushed bright pink and she had a can of beer in her hand.

Naruto smiled. He had never seen Hinata drink more than one glass of wine before, but she seemed to be having a good time; her chest was quickly rising and falling as she laughed at something. Without trying too much he could hear her laughter in his head, deep and earthy and unmistakably real—that was why he enjoyed hanging out with her, she was never fake. Sure she was usually shy around people, especially those she didn't know, but she never tried to be someone she wasn't. He could always trust her to be genuine.

As he saw Sasuke sit down next to her he curled his hands into fists. He knew Sasuke was just messing with him, trying to get him to do something stupid, but he wouldn't, not this time. Hinata would never go for Sasuke. She never went for anyone; she was way too focused on university. He watched as Sasuke whispered something in her ear and gestured towards the tents. Hinata smiled and nodded.

Pulling out his cellphone, he called Temari. He watched as she suddenly sat straighter and then pulled out her own phone.

"Hello?" Temari replied.

"Make Hinata go to bed," Naruto snapped.

"Why?"

"'Cause she's drunk and Sasuke is fucking with her."

Temari looked over at Hinata and Sasuke. "Looks harmless to me."

"Sasuke was just over by me. I know what he's planning."

"Is it bad?" Temari frowned.

"Very."

Naruto watched as Temari snapped her phone shut and then pulled Hinata away from her conversation with Sasuke. Naruto smiled. No way was Sasuke going to get one up on him.


	3. Your Unborn Child is Wearing My Sweater

**Chapter One:**

**October: Your Unborn Child is Wearing My Sweater**

Epic battles are fought, unrestrained romances are held, and unbridled conversations are played out over videogame councils. When not at soccer practice or in class, Naruto spent much of his free time saving his country or even the entire galaxy from mass destruction as he underwent a strenuous journey of button presses and combo moves. Today was no different.

Naruto lounged on the futon in his dorm room, his bed lofted in front of him with his television and desk below it. His homework forgotten as he stabbed, sliced, shot, and tomahawked his way across an American battlefield in _Assassin's Creed III_. He was smooth and effortless, a true assassin, and then he got hit by a big guy in a kilt and began running from everyone whilst his health slowly inched up. He swore.

Not wanting to interrupt Naruto as he verbally abused his game, Hinata watched from the door that was left open to allow cool night air to filter through the otherwise hot dorms. Unconsciously she rested her hands on her stomach and bit her bottom lip. How could she tell him? What would he do? Would her decision ruin their friendship? She didn't want to lose him; he was the only real friend she had at university.

Sure she had her roommate, but Sakura was the complete opposite of Hinata. She was tall and slender, where Hinata was short and curvaceous. Sakura had dazzling, pink hair that emphasized her elegant bone structure. Hinata's hair was black and her face was soft and oval—she could do no more than merely wish for cheekbones. Even their likes and dislikes were opposite, with one exception—Naruto. They were both attracted to him, though Sakura wasn't aware of Hinata's because she didn't flaunt her desires around like her roommate did.

"This isn't a zoo, Hinata."

Hinata jumped slightly at the sound of Naruto's voice and refocused on him. He was looking at her, his Mediterranean blue eyes alight with some inner mischief and his lips were upturned slightly. Hinata felt herself blush.

"Oh, really?" she said as she entered the dorm, closing the door behind her, and plopped down next to him. "You could have fooled me. I thought I was looking at the monkey exhibit."

"A monkey!" he mock-gasped. "A monkey? Really? You think I look like a monkey?"

"Yeah, one who picks his ass and nose with the same finger."

"Then I definitely don't look like a monkey."

She smiled. "What do you look like, then?"

"A lion!"

Hinata paused for a moment to study his long, bright blonde hair, beautiful eyes, and angular bone structure. He had high cheeks and a strong jaw that reminded her of a medieval knight, and he had a bit of a shadow, giving him the air of a ruffian or pirate. The light in his eyes and the way the corner of his lips barely suppressed a saucy smile made her insides tighten in a stronger, more desperate need then they had before the EST—before she had understood exactly what that need was, what it meant.

Blushing more fiercely than before, Hinata looked at the PS3's main menu screen and said, "You look nothing like a lion."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"But I can act like one!"

Naruto roared and pushed Hinata onto her back as he pretended to pounce on top of her and mull her neck. She squealed and laughed as his hands started to tickle her. She went ridged beneath him and then began to squirm under his touch, no longer in control over her own movements. Too focused on trying to breathe and escape his tickling, Hinata didn't notice his hands slip under her sweater until one of them was gently squeezing her left breast. She moaned, instinctively arching into his touch.

Delighting in the sound of Hinata earthy, primal moan, Naruto rested his pelvis between her legs. She squeezed him with her thighs and pulled him closer. Smiling, he kissed her throat. She smelled of spices that always reminded him of a warm kitchen. He loved her smell. He had been dreaming about it for weeks, ever since the End of Summer Trip—the EST. He had noticed it before then, of course, but never in the same way. Before it was merely how she was different from the floral perfumed girls he was usually with, now it was Hinata. She was the warm spices, the hearty laugh, the earthy moan. She was Hinata and he wanted her. He would have her.

Turning her head, Hinata captured his lips. She wanted to at least kiss him before she ruined everything by telling him. He moaned and parted his lips. She slid her tongue between them and tasted him. It wasn't exactly how she remembered: marshmallows, chocolate, and vodka. But his taste still held an indefinable element—something that was so utterly Naruto that she couldn't begin to describe it. It ignited her hunger, her body, her mind, her soul. She wanted more of him, all of him, but she had to tell him.

Naruto gave her sweater a tug. "Is this my _Halo_ hoodie?"

"Mine now." Hinata smiled. "You left it in my room, so I commandeered it."

"Then maybe I should take it back?"

When he went to pull it off of her, her smile faded and she grabbed his wrists. She wanted this, but she had to tell him. But how? How is something like this brought up? She squeezed her eyes closed. _¡Joder!_ She was going to lose him.

"I'm pregnant, Naruto," she blurted out.

He paused and something flickered in his expression. Anger, perhaps? She couldn't tell, he had hidden it too quickly. Then he shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Does that mean I don't have to use the condom?"

"Well, you obviously didn't last time."

Naruto sat back on his heels and looked at her, his eyes wide and he had turned a few shades paler. Taking a deep breath, he looked away, stared at the PS3 menu for a moment, and then looked at her. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah." She pushed herself to sit up and straightened her sweater. Could she hope that he'd stay? That he wouldn't push her away?

"And it's…" He struggled to say the words as his eyes lowered to her stomach.

"Yeah." She waited for him to process what was going on, but when he didn't say anything after several minutes, she ran her hand through her hair and asked, "Why did you start making out with me?"

Slowly, Naruto looked up at her. "You were there."

Hinata felt like she had been hit by a rocket ship. Her chest tightened, she couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She was just… there? Just there!? She felt her eyes fill with tears, blurring her already incomprehensible vision. Just there! Hinata shook her head clear, straightened her back, clenched her fist just like her brothers had shown her, and punched Naruto. _"__¡Hijoputa!__"_

He fell to the side, landing hard on the floor. "What the hell, Hinata!?"

"I'm sorry, you were there." Standing, Hinata straightened her clothes and walked out of the room.

"Can I have my sweater back, at least?"

She paused at the door and looked back at him. "I'm keeping it so in nine months my child can piss all over it."

"But-"

Hinata slammed the door shut as she left.

* * *

AN: My Spanish & Italian is based off of research. If I use or say something incorrectly, please tell me!  
_¡Joder! _"Fuck" (Spanish)

_¡Hijoputa! _Variant of _hijo de puta_, "son of a bitch" (Spanish)


	4. Claw Footed Love

Chapter Two:

October: Claw Footed Love

Naruto sat in the old, claw-footed tub that was forgotten in the middle of the woods. It was a mystical place where the woods circled around the tub. The clearing wasn't large, just big enough to leave a few mossy feet between the tub and the tree line. The full moon's light filtered through the autumn canopy and bathed the porcelain tub. The night air was cool with a warning that winter was only a few weeks away, but it didn't bother him. He had other things on his mind as he slipped on his thick headphones and slumped back into the tub.

Hinata was pregnant.

It was his.

His stomach clenched like it usually did when Hinata entered a room, but now it was fiercer, less subtle, and she wasn't even near. Fuck. He couldn't even remember the sex! The last thing he recalled was watching Temari lead Hinata away from Sasuke and then Sasuke was ragging on him about something. He couldn't remember what exactly, but it was pissing him off. Next thing he knew he was waking up in heaven: _his was hand full of a plump, tender breast, a soft round ass snuggled up against his well-used cock, his face nuzzled against her silky hair, his lips mere centimeters from the oh-so-kissable flesh of her neck. She was the most curvaceous woman he had ever woken up with, and he was overcome with the desire to never ever get out of bed, to merely stay there forever because that's where happiness was. _

_Then his other senses started to awaken. He could hear her softly snoring, which for the first time he found it rather cute instead of annoying. He typically hated it when people snored. He could also smell a familiar earthy scent of spices. His stomach had clenched and he felt his body instantly react with desire. He gently squeezed the flesh in his hand and kissed her shoulder. A deep moan emanated from her. Naruto opened his eyes, ready for another delightful round, and froze. _

_Hinata Hyuuga. _

_Naruto cursed himself and pulled from her. He got up and grabbed his clothes, throwing them on. He was still trying to shove his unsoftening member into his pants when he hear her speak. _

"_Naruto? What's wrong?" _

_He turned to look at her. She was sitting up, holding the blanket against her chest. He never really realized how well endowed she was. Fuck, he wanted her. _

"_Nothing," he said. "Once you're dressed we should pack up and head out. I haven't packed my shit for the dorms yet." _

_He saw her blush as she looked down, clearly confused and embarrassed. "Oh, um, alright." _

"_I'll wait for you outside. Here, wear this." He tossed her his shirt and then stepped out of the tent. _

Naruto cursed himself. It had been Hinata—little, traditional, virgin Hinata who could rival him in videogames, who was incredibly shy around strangers, and who had been saving herself for the right man. He has stolen that moment from her, she could never get it back, and he couldn't even remember it!

He hadn't known what to do. He was so afraid that she would hate him. So, he pretended like it never happened. They had all moved into the dorms the next day and then the following week classes had started. The entire month of September had seemed so normal. He hung out with Sasuke and Hinata and fucked a handful of random girls.

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to be honest, at least with himself. He had been comparing all of those girls to her. They were skinnier, more athletic, more talkative, but less mindful of what they were saying. They all had meant nothing and that was what he wanted.

He didn't want Hinata or her pregnancy. He didn't want delicious curves or questions about his day. He didn't want anyone worrying over him or nagging him. He wanted mindless fucks whose names he wouldn't remember or never even knew. He wanted to get passing grades during the week and then get plastered on the weekends. He wanted adulthood to be simple. Hadn't childhood been complicated enough because of his family?

"You're so predictable, Naruto. I could find you with my eyes closed."

Pulling his headphones off, Naruto sat up and found the one person he really didn't want to see at the moment: Hinata. She was standing at the foot of the tub, still wearing his hoodie, but it was now matched with a pair of _Kingdom Hearts_ pajama pants that had all of the different variations of the kingdom key.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Thought you were pissed at me."

"I am. Move your legs," she said as she crawled into the tub and sat between his legs.

"Then why are you here?"

"Sakura has a guy over and I couldn't sleep through the narration."

"So you came to me?"

"Well, duh. Where else am I supposed to sleep?"

"Why not pass out on my futon? Sasuke would have let you in."

"And listen to his sexual narrations?"

"Good point. So what about being pissed at me?"

"I've always known you were a slut. I'll deal with the rest tomorrow after my exam," she said as she turned and laid down on top of him, with her head on his shoulder. "For now, just keep me warm."

Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around her. They didn't speak after that, they merely laid in the silence of each other's thoughts until the air was filled with the sound of Hinata's soft snores. Naruto kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.


	5. The Wolf & the Lamb

**Chapter Three:**

**October: The Wolf and the Lamb**

Hinata awoke to the subtle smell of cinnamon and the sweet natural air. She snuggled further into the warmth of her pillow and contacted satin skin. She smiled. Naruto was beneath her; it hadn't been a dream. Opening her eyes she saw that he was still asleep, his hair mussed by the back of the tub and his shirt only unbuttoned where her face had been. Hinata blushed—there was a small hickey on his chest. Had that been her doing?

If so, she wanted to do more.

With a mischievous little grin, Hinata leaned down and kissed Naruto's chest. When it elicited no response she opened his shirt more and continued to kiss higher and higher until she came to his nipple. Hinata bit her bottom lip. She had enjoyed the sensation of his mouth on hers, but she was a woman. Would he enjoy it too? She took a deep breath. No harm in trying. Hesitantly, Hinata touched Naruto's nipple with her tongue, and then jumped when he moaned. She grinned. With more confidence than before, she covered his nipple with her mouth and tried to mimic what he had done to her on the last night of the EST.

Gradually, she felt him awake beneath her. Not wanting a little nipple play to be the only thing she did, Sofa forced herself to be bolder. Without any hesitation she moved her lips to his throat and her tiny hand into Naruto's jeans. She moaned as he pulsed in her hand. She had never felt something so utterly foreign and alive before. Touching him there made her entire body heat up and she was overcome with the notion that she was wearing far too much clothing. With tantalizing slowness, Hinata began to move her hand up and down his length.

Naruto jerked his hips and moaned, "Hinata." Then a pair of lips were on his and the little hand moved faster. He wasn't going to last long with this morning on slaughter, but he wouldn't mind being woken like this more often. Who had he slept with last night? She was one hell of a kisser. Opening his eyes he saw dark hair, pale skin, and gorgeous eyes. His stomach clenched and he twisted from her, shifting their positions.

"Hinata!" he said as he looked down at her.

She blushed, but otherwise seemed unfazed as she now lay on the bottom of the tub. "Yes?"

"Not that I mind, but what are you doing?"

"Nothing much." She sat up. "Just felt like making out and you were there."

Naruto blinked, his heart constricted, and he had the urge to kiss her into submission. She had toyed with him because he was there! Where had this bolder Hinata come from? She was smiling at him with mischief in her eyes, as if he was just some thing for her to play with. She leaned forward. He held his breath. Her lips were mere inches from his. All he had to do was move a little and they would kiss. He wanted to, but…

Hinata was forever.

She stood and exited the tub.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.

"Back to the dorms."

"Why? You still have hours until class."

Hinata turned and looked him straight in the eyes. "You're no longer convenient."

Naruto clenched his jaw and leaped out of the tub. Hinata took off running. He bounded after her, weaving fluidly through the trees. She was fast for being so small, but luckily he was faster. As he neared her he reached out, but his fingers merely combed her hair.

"Catch me if you can, _gilipollas!_" Hinata laughed.

He put on an extra burst of speed and caught up to her. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and she squealed as he lifted her off her feet. They fell, rolling across the crisp autumn leaves and mossy ground. Naruto made sure he ended on top, pinning Hinata's hands above her head.

"I get it," he said between breaths. "I was an ass. I'm sorry."

"Good, but now you've made it so I have to shower before class."

"You're not going to give me an inch, are you?"

"No. You haven't given me a reason to."

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "Forgive me?"

"Of course. You're one of my best friends. Just don't do it again."

Naruto smiled and brushed his lips lightly against hers. When her lips parted he kissed her deeply. She slipped her hands from his grasp and ran them through his hair. The feeling was incredible—having her here beneath him, with him, her rich, earthy scent enveloping him. His hand moved down the side of her body, she was so deliciously curvy, and grabbed the end of her sweater. She pushed him away.

"Why?" her voice was low and husky. It made him want her more, but the look she had halted his attempt to go further. Her eyes were so sad that it caused his stomach to cramp in a new way, this one far more unpleasant.

He smoothed her wrinkled brow with his thumb and then tucked her hair behind her ear. "Why what?"

"Why are you kissing me?"

Naruto took a deep breath and sat back on his heels. He had to be more careful this time. He didn't like hurting her.

Hinata sat up too. "I'm not one of your girls, Naru. I'm your friend, aren't I?"

"You are," he said carefully.

"Then why did you kiss me? These last twenty-four hours have been weird. You never kiss me or touch me like you want me. What's changed?"

"Nothing's changed."

"Is it because I'm pregnant with your kid?"

He mentally winced at the sharpness of her voice. "No! Of course not."

"Then why did you kiss me?"

"Damn it, Hinata, because I wanted to!"

"Why? You never wanted to before!"

"Of course I did!" Naruto snapped. "You were just so fucking untouchable before."

"And now I'm not?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I've fucked you like I fuck every other girl."

She slapped him. Standing, she brushed the dirt from her knees and then looked at him. Her eyes were icy shards of pain. Naruto never had the urge to hide like he did now.

"Well, you'll never fuck me again," she said softly, and then turned sharply and walked away.

* * *

AN: If any of my Spanish or Italian is incorrect, please tell me! I do it all through researching (not just a simple translator). Though, please note that I'm trying to use the variant of Spanish that's used in Spain, not the Latin American countries.

_Gilipollas –_ "Asshole" (Spanish, Spain)


	6. Phone in the Hole

AN: I know it's short, but another bit will be up as soon as I type it up!

* * *

**Chapter Four: **

**October: Phone in the Hole**

Naruto walked into the abandoned dance studio. The old wooden floors creaked under his feet and the mirrored walls were covered in graffiti and grime. He reached into his pocket and turned up his iPod. The beats pounded into his ears and seeped into his soul. He took a deep breath and then began to move. He allowed the music to flow through him, to control him. He didn't stop to think or plan out the dance. He simply danced. The grime and wear of the studio disappeared in Naruto's mind. He knew of nothing—not of the creaks and squeaks of the floorboards under his feet, not of the honking of car horns or of the screaming of people outside, and especially not of Hinata's pregnancy.

But like with all good things, eventually the room stopped spinning and Naruto's feet stopped moving. The dance was done. He could feel the pleasant exhaustion of his limbs. No longer did he feel the need to run. Naruto was finally calm. Taking a deep breath, he turned his music off and dialed his brother. It rang, nearly going to voice mail before Nagato picked up.

"What the fuck d'you want?" Nagato growled. "It's nearly three in the fucking morning, and some of us have to work for a living."

Frowning, Naruto sat against the wall. "I got a girl pregnant."

"Idiot. You're on your own with this fuck up."

"C'mon, Naga, I'm serious here."

"So am I."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what to do."

"Should have thought about that before you started whoring yourself around campus."

"Nagato!"

"Goodnight, Naruto." He hung up.

Naruto threw his phone. It slid across the floor and into a rotted hole.


	7. Mr Fuzz, I Need Some Comfort

AN: Just a heads up, because I want Hinata to be the youngest in the family, Hanabi has become an older sister instead of her younger sister.

Enjoy & DFTBA

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**October: Mr. Fuzz, I Need Some Comfort**

Hinata curled up in her circular chair with her big, fuzzy, gray blanket. It reminded her of her ancient cat, dubbed Mr. Fuzz through the creativity of her five-year-old self. She missed him and his comforting purr. Sighing, she turned Skype on and dialed her brother Neji. It rang through the first time, but he immediately called back. Hinata answered and a big, damp head appeared on her laptop screen.

"Hey, chica, give me a sec. I'm just getting dressed." Without waiting for a reply, he clicked off the video feed.

Hinata waited as she listened to his fluid mixture of _español _and _italiano_ curses. She smiled. Neji may be the most elegant musician she knew, but he was by far the klutziest dresser out of all her siblings. As her closest sibling in age, Neji's room was always next to hers and on many mornings she had been awoken by his mantra of curses. Oddly enough, her next sibling up, Hanabi, was _l'esempio di purezza cattolica romana_—paragon of Roman Catholic purity—and had never sworn in her life—unless, of course, you counted when she had had far too much wine.

"Back," Neji announced as he reappeared on her screen. "How're you doing, chica? You look like _mierda_."

Hinata rolled her eyes. "You're not so pretty yourself, _nottambulo_."

"Hey! I'm gorgeous."

"Of course you are." Hinata giggled. "You're getting ready pretty late tonight. It's nearly nine. Got a gig or something?"

"Yeah, the band's playing at the Usual. I have to leave in half an hour. What's up?"

Hinata took a deep breath. "I told Naruto I was pregnant."

"How'd it go?"

"Horrible."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say you'd want to _matar_ him if I told you, but I handled it."

"I'm coming over!" She saw him stand, knocking his chair over in the process.

"It's fine! Neji! Neji!" Hinata hurriedly said. "I gave him a black eye. It's fine! _Siediti!_"

Neji righted his chair and sat back down. "Next time I see him, I'm going to give him a hell of a lot worse. No one messes with _mia sorella preferita, Campanilla_."

Hinata smiled softly. "_Ti voglio bene, fratello_, but it's fine. I promise. I'm going to be a madre, I need to learn how to handle the big, scary things on my own."

"You're going to keep it then?" Neji frowned.

"I think so." Hinata wrapped her arms around her flat stomach. "I know an abortion would be the right thing to do, not just because I'm no where near mature enough, but I'm also broke, unemployed, and not even halfway through uni, but I just…"

Hinata looked down. She wasn't ready to be a madre, but she didn't have the courage to have an abortion. All of her life her family had always been extremely close knit, and the role of the madre had always been very important, she even ruled over the father. The madre was an honoured position, and even though she didn't deserve it yet, she couldn't throw it away as if it was meaningless when it had been thrust upon her by Fate.

"What about an adoption?" Neji asked.

"I don't think I'll be able to give it up after carrying it for nine months."

"But you're single, completely on your own."

"I know," she admitted solemnly, "but I know I can depend on _mi familia_ to keep me from falling, right?"

Neji smiled sadly. "Of course, chica, _ti vogliamo bene_."

"I love you too, Neji." Hinata pretended to blow him a kiss. "I should crash, got an early class."

"Okay. I have to head out for my gig anyway."

"_Buono fortuna!"_

"_Gracias_. Night, Campanilla."

"Night, nottambulo." Hinata quit Skype, turned off her computer, and crawled into bed.

* * *

AN: Translations. I figure these out through research, so feel free to correct them!

_**Mierda**_– shit (Spanish)

_**Nottambulo**_ – Night owl (Italian) Hinata's nickname for Neji

_**Matar**_ – kill (Spanish)

_**Siediti!**_- Sit down! (Italian)

_**Mia sorella preferita **_- my favourite sister (Italian)

_**Campanilla **_- Morning glory (Spanish) Neji's nickname for Hinata

_**Ti voglio bene, fratello **_- I love you, brother (Italian, nonromantic)

_**Mi familia**_ – my family (Spanish)

_**Ti vogliamo bene**_ – We love you (Italian, nonromantic)

_**Buono fortuna!**_ – Good luck! (Italian)

_**Gracias**_ – Thanks (Spanish)


	8. Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

My sincerest apologies for taking so long to post the next chapter. Between starting a new job & other daily matters, I haven't had time to write. While I know this isn't the chapter you've been waiting for, I wanted to reassure you that **I have NOT discontinued any of my stories**_**.**_ Starting in **July** I will be posting at least **one chapter **for each of my three stories (_Dance with Me_, _Falling Slowly_, & _Little Agent Hope_).

I thank you for your continual support.

Best wishes & DFTBA,

-Counting with Straws


	9. Dushen'ka

3

AN: My sincerest apologies! I meant to have a chapter posted months ago, but my job was utterly draining and I often fell asleep within an hour after work and didn't get up until my alarm woke me for work. :( I'm still working, but now I'm also at Uni four days out of the week, so I'm hoping to get a chapter or two per story up a month. I'm still working out times to write in, but how often I post per week will mostly depend on how much homework I have that week.

Sorry for such a short bit here, but I've still the rest of this week to work on this story! So maybe another post this week? No promises, but I'm hoping to have another post for this story. I move to one of my other story projects Sunday.

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**7 October: Dushen'ka**

Naruto stopped in front of Hinata's door and took a deep breath. He could do this. He just had to make himself clear and then this whole disaster would go away and everything could go back to normal. They would just be friends again. It would be all right. Naruto rolled his shoulders, relaxing them, and then knocked on the door. It flew open with surprising quickness, revealing a mane of candied pink that seemed to jump into his face as Sakura yanked him into a hug.

"Naru!" she squealed and pressed as much of her severely padded cleavage into him as she possibly could. "You're coming to party with me tonight, right?"

"Uh, no," he replied as he pried her off of himself. "Hinata and I are gonna study."

"Aww, c'mon Naru! Come play with me instead."

Hinata popped her head out from her makeshift cavern under her lofted bed. "He can play with you once he's passing all his classes."

Naruto's chest tightened as he watched Hinata stand and begin to bicker with her roommate. Short, plump, timid Hinata Hyuga was pregnant with his child. He still could not entirely comprehend it. Would she grow big or stay relatively small? Would she crave strange things in the middle of the night and send him rushing to get them? Naruto's eyes widened. Does she expect him to propose?

"Naruto?"

What would he do?

"Naruto, are you okay?"

He couldn't get married!

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

"He couldn't be like his parents. He couldn't. No!

"Naruto." Soft hands held his face, pulling him downward, into soft, snowy pools. "Sweets, are you okay?"

He looked at Hinata, so soft and delicate, and frowned. She was pregnant. What had he done to her? How could he? He wasn't good enough for her. He had ruined her. He had to find a way to save her. "I need to talk to you."

She lowered her hands. "I know."

He moved towards her, following her hands.

"Oh my god, Naru!" Sakura said, her voice hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. "You're such a spacer!"

She laughed and nudged Hinata out of the way. Hinata stumbled, her hand missing the supportive desk. Instinctively Naruto was there, his arm wrapped around her, pressing her voluptuous curves against his firm torso, and rolled. Together they fell into the circular chair.

"Hina, you klutz! Naru, baby, you alright?"

Ignoring Sakura, Naruto looked down at Hinata, her face was nuzzled into his shoulder, blushing profusely. He tightened his hold and bent his head. Gently, he brushed his lips against her brow.

"Are you okay, _dushen'ka_?" Naruto whispered.

Hinata's brows knitted as she looked up at him and murmured, "dushingkah?"

Naruto blushed and set her on her feet. "You're fine."

"Nar-"

He stood and pushed passed her. "You mentioned a party, Sakura?"

Sakura's face brightened. "Yes!"

"Naruto, we need to talk!" Hinata grabbed his hand. He turned to her. She was frowning, her snowy eyes soft and confused. "Please."

"There's nothing important to talk about."

Hinata's eyes widened and she let go of his hand.

Instantly, he missed the contact, but forced himself to turn and walk out of the room. "C'mon, Sakura. Time to go get drunk and fuck anything that moves."


End file.
